Scientology: "Saving the Planet"

If I had to select the absolute worst thing that the Church of Scientology claims, I'd say the claim that they are "saving the planet" is the very, very worst.

Yes, they really do claim exactly that.

This is what L. Ron Hubbard says:

We're not playing some minor game in Scientology. It isn't cute or something to do for lack of something better.

The whole agonized future of this planet, every man, woman and child on it, and your own destiny for the next endless trillions of years depend on what you do here and now with and in Scientology.

This is a deadly serious activity. And if we miss getting out of the trap now, we may never again have another chance.

Remember, this is our first chance to do so in all the endless trillions of years of the past.

L. Ron Hubbard
HCO PL 7 February 1967 - KEEPING SCIENTOLOGY WORKING

This statement is taken totally at face value by all Scientologists. This is, to all True Believers, totally true, very serious and very, very important.

This message is actually repeated many times and in many ways by Hubbard. The message is:

• Scientology is the only path to salvation for not only the Scientologist, but for "every man, woman and child" on this planet.
• It is the only chance for salvation in "trillions of years".
• If Scientology does not take over and "save" the planet "we may never again have another chance."

Wow! Those are some heavy claims, aren't they?

So, how is this used by the Church of Scientology?

The Church of Scientology demands that every Scientologist go deeply, hopelessly into debt and give all their money to the church. After all, what is one little insignificant Scientologist's survival when compared to such an important goal!

The Church of Scientology demands that every Scientologist spend every moment working to expand the Church of Scientology. They must be on course; they must be reading Scientology books or listening to Scientology lectures; they must disseminate Scientology to friends, family and strangers; they must volunteer at the local church, join staff, join the Sea Org, make their children join the Sea Org ... there is no end to what is demanded -- after all, the Church of Scientology is saving the planet!

Scientologists must buy everything offered, every course, every book, every CD, and then buy them all over again.

And nothing is forbidden to the Church of Scientology in carrying out their all-important mission. The church can commit any crimes, any abuses, any fraud and it is excused because they are saving the planet! They can and will lie and cheat and steal to forward this all-important purpose.

If you object to anything the Church of Scientology says or does, if you work to expose these crimes, these lies, these abuses, they will destroy you, as is their right because their mission is more important than anything else on the entire planet!

Yes, anything is permitted to the Church of Scientology. Anything. Just look at their goal! They're saving the planet and you aren't.

Yet there is something very, very important that is missing from the Church of Scientology's work. If the Church of Scientology is, indeed, "saving the planet", then why is nothing associated with the church getting any better at all? As the old expression (that I just made up) goes, "Saving the planet starts at home!"

At what point does any part of the planet start getting "saved"? So far, the Church of Scientology has collected hundreds of millions of dollars and claimed to have done things, but there is no evidence that anything associated with the Church of Scientology is getting any better at all. (Once again, for you True Believers, I'm not talking about whether Scientology makes you "feel better" or not, I'm talking about its big claims.)

• There are no Clears per Hubbard's definition.
  
• There are no OTs -- Scientology is supposed to be a "gradient to OT", but zero at the bottom and zero at the top isn't a lot of progress.
  
• Narconon has been exposed for lying about its success rate -- its actual results are much lower than other drug rehabilitation programs.
• Hubbard's "Study Tech" has been found, in real classrooms with real students, to be far inferior to many other educational methods.
• Independent scientific analysis has found the "Purification Rundown" to be completely ineffective.
  
• Their "Volunteer Ministers" are just Scientology sales reps in yellow shirts, unwelcome at disaster sites by the real relief agencies.
• And so on...
  

Demanding Scientologists make huge sacrifices for the Church of Scientology would be a bit questionable even if the church were doing some good -- but when the church's results are so mediocre, so lacking, such demands for huge sacrifices are unconscionable.

May I gently suggest to Scientologists that they support the Church of Scientology only to the degree that the church shows that it actually is doing some good for some portion of the planet? Empty promises and big claims don't count. Actual improvement of something (besides the church's bank account) must be demonstrated and verified. If the church can't show they've made anything really better, then they don't deserve anyone's support.

And, may I make a few suggestions to the Church of Scientology, since they are inexperienced in this?

First, they should stop doing bad things. It's hard to do good when you are committing crimes, fraud and abuse. And that "demanding Scientologists make those huge sacrifices just to enhance the church's bank account" thing? In case you guys didn't know, that's a bad thing.

When the church has that down pretty well, they could try and do something good -- something small and local until they learn how to do it. It might help them to know that real organizations, that do actual good work, do not consider doing good things to be a money-making operation. Just so you know.

And Church of Scientology? Please lay off the "saving the planet" crap. You're not doing that, you've never done that, and you show no sign you'll ever make any progress in that direction. So just stop saying that, OK? It just screams "fanatical cult!"
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